Relent (Sydney Storm MC 1)

He didn’t say a word. A good fucking idea because anything he’d say would be the wrong thing at this point. My fists clenched and I slammed my hand down on the counter in frustration.

I stared at him for a long moment, trying desperately to contain my rage, and when I couldn’t rein it in any longer, I picked up the glass in front of me and threw it at the wall. “This is the last fuckin’ time, Peter!” I yelled at him. “ If I drag you out of this, and then find out you’ve done it again... so help you God because I sure as fuck won’t be.”

He nodded but remained silent.

He knew he’d pushed me to the limit.

He knew I was done.

The debt to his family was paid.

***

Four hours later, I sunk down into a couch at the clubhouse bar. Hyde sat in the couch opposite me, his eyes questioning what was wrong. I still wore my anger at Peter plain for everyone to see. “What’s up with you?” he asked as he drank some of his beer.

I struggled with sharing my dilemma with him but decided I needed to. Any involvement of mine in this could potentially impact the club. I leant forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “My ex’s father owes ten grand to Jonathon Gambarro and the only hope he has of settling the debt is if I step in and help him.”

Hyde’s face clouded over with displeasure. “And what exactly would that involve?”

“I’d have to threaten him with something. I’d need the debt wiped with no payment involved, so that’s the only way to make that happen.”

“Fuck, Kick. This is dangerous territory. You really want to get mixed up with Gambarro? I can assure you once you’re on his radar he’ll have you in his sights and won’t rest ‘til he takes care of you in whatever way he deems fit.”

I blew out a long breath. “I fuckin’ know that, Hyde, but what choice do I have? If I don’t step in, her father is dead.”

“And if you do step in, you’re a target going forward.” He leant forward. “And the club’s a fucking target.”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head and stood. “Stay out of it, Kick. The club doesn’t need any more trouble. We’re still waiting to see if Silver Hell connects us with what you and King did the other night; this is more shit we don’t need.”

Fuck.

***

“Please, Kick. I’m desperate,” my sister begged me over the phone at three o’clock that afternoon. She needed a babysitter for a couple of hours while she attended her university lecture.

“I can do it, Lina, but fuck, where the hell is Dave?” Her asshole ex-husband always let her down and it pissed me off.

“He’s drunk again. He just called me, like five fucking minutes ago, to say he couldn’t make it now because he accidentally drank too much at the pub after work.” Not only did she sound angry, but I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. Fuck, that asshole would be answering to me.

“I’ll be there soon,” I promised. Hanging up, I eyed Nitro who I’d been talking to about bike engines again, and said, “Sorry man, I’ve gotta go help my sister out.”

“Sure, brother. We good for Saturday?” he asked, watching as I stood.

We’d planned to work on his engine. “Yeah, I’ll probably get to your place by eleven.”

He gave me a chin lift and I headed out.

When I arrived at Lina’s house twenty minutes later, she seemed even more frazzled. My brows knit together. “What’s wrong?”

“Dave just called again and said he’d be here after all.” She gave me a pained look. “Kick, I don’t want him anywhere near the kids, not when he’s drunk.”

I placed my hand on her upper arm. “I’ll take care of him, okay? I don’t want you worrying about it. You just go and do your shit and leave Dave to me.”

Tears pricked her eyes and she collapsed into my arms. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” she sobbed.

Fuck, things were worse than I realised. “What the fuck’s going on, Lina?”